Wrist watch with adjustable dial



1966 H. L. HOHENTHANER 3,283,496

WRIST WATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE DIAL Filed Aug. 19, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HAROLD L. HOHE/VTHANER BY WQ ATTORNEY 1966 H. In. HOHENTHANER 323,496

WRIST WATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE DIAL Filed Aug. 19, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HAROLD L. HOHE/VTHANER BY W ATTORN United States Patent 3,283,496 WRIST WATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE DIAL Harold L. Hohenthaner, 146 College Ave., St. Paul, Minn. Filed Aug. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 390,708 7 Claims. (Cl. 58-57) This invention relates to wrist watches having readily adjustable dials and has for its principal object to adapt a wrist watch for use selectively on the left wrist or right wrist of the wearer and to properly locate the stem and dial markings in either selected position.

A particular object is to provide a wrist watch embodying means for retaining the dial selectively in at least two positions differing by an angle of approximately 180 one from the other relative to the case and the stem.

A further object is to provide means for adjusting the position of the dial which do not add materially to the cost of the watch and do not require the services of a watchmaker or watch repair expert to make the adjustment.

Other objects will appear and be more fully pointed out in the following specification and claims.

Since a majority, on the order of 90%, of wrist watch users are right handed, such watches are customarily designed for wear on the left wrist of the user. If an ordinary wrist watch is worn on the right wrist of the user either the winding and setting mechanism control comprising the stem and crown are difficult to manipulate with the left hand, or the dial is inverted and the time readings are difficult to make on the dial. According to the present invention, by a minor and inexpensive modification, watches designed to be worn on the left wrist may be adapted for use on the right wrist.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Which illustrate embodiments of my invention:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a watch with the stem and crown in position for use on the left wrist of the user;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational' view of the watch mechanism, with the case removed and the pillar plate, stern, crown and dial fastening members in position for use on the right wrist of a user;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the dial assembly including minute and hour hands and dial train removed from the case;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view through a watch of common type taken on the line 55 of FIG. 1 and showing the pertinent portions of the front and back pillar plates, dial train and power train, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a watch case of the type having a readily removable crystal and dial positioning means which are accessible when the crystal is removed, and FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken approximately on the line 7-7 of FIG. 2 and on a larger scale.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the wrist watch has a case indicated generally by the numeral 7 which is formed with pairs of lugs 7a carrying pins 7b adapted for connection with the ends of a wrist band (not shown). Other elements shown are the transparent face cover or crystal 8 which covers a dial 9, a minute hand 10 and hour hand 11. Projecting from one side of the watch movement and case 7 is a stem 12 having a crown 13 of common type for winding the power assembly and setting the hands.

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a dial train for actuating the hands 10 and 11 comprises a minute hand cannon pinion 14 and an hour wheel 15 fixed on a hollow shaft at the inner or back side of the dial 9. A friction drive of common type is provided between the minute hand cannon pinion 14 and hour wheel 15 so that the hour hand may be rotated in relation to the :minute hand when the relative positions of the hands is to be adjusted. Projecting from the periphery of the dial 9 are a plurality of lugs 16 adapted to coact with recesses 17 formed in a circular member 18 (FIG. 2) which normally supports and centers the watch movement within the case 7.

A front pillar plate of common type is indicated at 19, FIGS. 2 and 5. Other parts of the mechanism including a power assembly indicated at 20 and a balance wheel 21 are shown in FIG. 2. These and many other parts of a conventional watch movement are omitted from the cross sectional views, FIGS. 5 and 6. A hollow pinion 22 of the dial train is adapted to fit over a central shaft 23 (FIG. 7) and to mesh with a pinion 24 when the dial and train are assembled with the watch movement. As shown in FIG. 7 the minute hand cannon pinion 14 meshes with a pinion 29 which is fixed on a power-actuated shaft 28a and the hour wheel 15 meshes with a pinion 28 which is ooaxially disposed with the pinion 29 and also driven by power train shaft 28a. These dial train pinions 28 and 29 are also shown on a smaller scale in FIG. 2. Since the watch illustrated does not have a sweep second hand, the hollow pinion 22 and meshing pinion 24 are not connected to a second hand in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings. Thus to assemble the dial train with the power train it is only necessary to insert the hollow pinion 22 through an opening 19a in the pillar plate 19 to place the pinion 22 in mesh with the pinion 24 of the power train.

Referring to FIG. 5, the case 7 has a back closure member 25 of the snap-on type which when removed allows the watch movement, dial 9, hands and dial train to be removed from the case. In the modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 6, the crystal 8 is held in place by a bezel 26 so that access may be gained to the rotatable dial by removal of the crystal and bezel.

As an alternative to the provision of the lugs 16 for coacting with the recesses 17 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, coacting locator pins and apertures may be employed for securing the dial selectively in positions differing by relative to the case and stem.

To adapt a wrist watch such as that shown in FIG. 1 for wear on the right wrist of the user, it is essential that the dial carrying the usual or suitable dial markings must be rotatable through an angle of approximately 180 relative to the stem and case. To make this adjustment with a watch of the type shown in FIG. 5, the back closure member 25 is removed and the entire contents of the case are removed therefrom including the dial 9, hands and dial train. The dial, dial train and hands are then removed from the shaft 23, thus disengaging the lugs 16 from the recesses 17, the dial is rotated through an angle of 180 relative to the supporting member 18 and the lugs 16 are inserted in the registering recesses 17, while the dial train is replaced on the shaft 23. The hour hand is then advanced one-half hour by pushing it ahead forcibly as the minute hand is held in place in connection with the central post or shaft 23 and pinion 24. Then the reassembled dial, supporting member 18 and watch movement are replaced in the case and the back closure 25 is snapped into place.

With the modification of the invention shown in FIG. 6 it is only necessary to remove the crystal 8 and bezel 26 to gain access to the dial, hands and dial train for adjustment as hereinbefore described. These simple adjustment-s may be performed by those unskilled in the art of watchmaking and repair.

I claim:

1. In a wrist watch having a case, a readily detachable closure member for said case and a driving shaft centrally thereof, a stem projecting from one side of said case, a dial rotatable about the axis of said shaft through an angle of approximately 180 in said case, minute and hour hands concentrically operative in said case for indicating time by reference to said dial, and means for retaining said dial selectively in at least two positions differing by an angle of approximately 180 one from the other relative to said case and stem, in each of said positions the center of said dial being substantially on the axis of said shaft.

2. A wrist watch as defined in claim 1 in which said means for retaining the dial in said selected positions comprise interengaging detent members on the dial and case which are readily accessible to permit repositioning of the dial relative to the case when said closure member is detached from the case.

3. A wrist watch in accordance with claim 2 in which said detent members comprise peripheral projections 0n the dial which are interengageable with peripheral notches in said ca-se member.

4. A wrist watch as defined in claim 1 in which said readily detachable closure member of the case is a removable case back.

5. A Wrist Watch as defined in claim 1 in which said readily detachable closure member for the case comprises a removable crystal and said means for retaining said dial selectively in said positions are accessible when the crystal is removed from the case.

6. A wrist watch in accordance with claim 1 including a power train having a power shaft, a front pillar plate from which the central portion of said dial is spaced and a dial train including a minute hand shaft and pinion and hour hand shaft and pinion operatively connected to said minute and hour hands respectively, positioned between the dial and the said plate, the shafts of the hands being detachable from the power shaft as a unit with the dial.

7. A watch in accordance with claim 6 in which the readily detachable closure member is a removable case back.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 1,003,696 11/1951 France.

172,420 l/ 1935 Switzerland.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

LEO SMILOW, Examiner.

G. F. BAKER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A WRIST WATCH HAVING A CASE, A READILY DETACHABLE CLOSURE MEMBER FOR SAID CASE AND A DRIVING SHAFT CENTRALLY THEREOF, A STEM PROJECTING FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID CASE, A DIAL ROTATABLE ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT THROUGH AN ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 180* IN SAID CASE, MINUTE AND HOUR HANDS CONCENTRICALLY OPERATIVE IN SAID CASE FOR INDICATING TIME BY REFERENCE TO SAID DIAL, AND MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID DIAL SELECTIVELY IN AT LEAST TWO POSITIONS DIFFERING BY AN ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 180* ONE FROM THE OTHER RELATIVE TO SAID CASE AND STEM, IN EACH OF SAID POSITIONS THE CENTER OF SAID DIAL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ON THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT. 